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Hwy 56 Corridor Open House Tuesday Evening - Major Changes Envisioned

Posted by Peter Solie GardnerEDGE

Posted on Feb. 2nd, 2010

Chart showing traffic counts and projections at several points along U.S. 56 (56 Corridor Management Plan graphic)

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is hosting public meetings on February 9 and 11 to discuss access management, corridor character, and land use alternatives along the US-56 corridor study area. The 22-mile US-56 corridor study area spans from US-59 west of Baldwin City in Douglas County to I-35 on the northeast edge of the city of Gardner in Johnson County.

The public meetings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings will include detailed maps and drawings of where the roadway needs to be widened, where an overpass is proposed at 199th Street, options on how to redesign traffic flow on the western edge of Gardner where 56 begins its drop to the southwest and 175th Street heads straight west, and the widening of 56 Highway through Gardner to 5 lanes through the middle of town and 6 lanes east of Moonlight Road. The interchange at New Century Parkway is also proposed to be significantly redesigned.

The first public open house will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9 at Mildale Farm, 35250 West 199th Street in Edgerton. The second public open house will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 11 at the Baldwin Elementary School-Intermediate Center Commons Area, 100 Bullpup Drive in Baldwin City. Identical exhibits will be available for viewing at both public open houses.

The open house format will allow area residents, businesses, and commuters to review detailed project maps with recommendations for access management and land use, and community character considerations that complement the corridor’s diverse uses. KDOT staff along with consultant team members will be on hand to answer questions and discuss issues.

The US-56 Corridor Management Plan is a 15-month study effort between KDOT and its partners: Douglas County; Johnson County; Cities of Baldwin City, Edgerton, and Gardner; Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO); and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC).

The three-part study began with compiling the FOUNDATION OF FACTS which included existing conditions found along the corridor, and then analyzed land use, development, natural resources, the local road and highway network, traffic volumes and patterns, and simulation modeling to FORECAST THE FUTURE. The third step is to FORMULATE A FIT through the integration of land use, transportation, access management, and community character considerations into the final US-56 Corridor Management Plan. Attendees at the public open houses will be encouraged to give their input on these elements as KDOT and the consultant team works on the final phase of the planning process.

The attached chart shows the current automobile and truck traffic counts for several segments of U.S. 56, as well as projections for those same segments in 2040. Three conceptual drawings of the proposed interchange at 199th Street and the two conceptual drawings of the "western gateway" for Gardner will be added as soon as they become available on Tuesday morning.

For more information, visit the study Web site at www.us56corridorplan.org. If you require a sign-language interpreter or other communication aids at the meeting, please call Kimberly Qualls, KDOT Public Affairs Manager at (785) 296-3881 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.